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“God created you with an awesome purpose for your life. Through prayer, Bible study, and community with other believers you can discover His plan for you. The Rock has opportunities to help you grow in your walk with God. Take advantage of these classes and resources.”

Message

Message Recap

This Sunday Pastor Miles challenged each person who attends the Rock Church to have a biblical perspective of money. He began by holding up a twenty dollar bill and asking each person to write down what it represented to them. Miles then pointed out that each person probably wrote down something they intended to buy for themselves with the twenty dollars.

He went on to say that God has promised to provide for all our needs, and that we need to start looking at our money differently. God is entitled to direct us in the use of our resources, and He wants to bless us through using what we have.

As we have seen over the past few weeks, the Rock's Salvation Army is a group of people trained and armed to fight for the souls of unbelievers. Proper use of resources is critical for victory in war. We must learn what money is and what money is not if we are going to be effective members of God's army.

"Yo" Money

This week we looked at the Y in ARMY, which stands for "yo" money. Proper use of "yo" money will come when you align your intent, perspective, and treasure with the Kingdom of God. In other words, your intent will determine your perspective which will lead to your treasure. Miles took us to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and read Matthew 6:19-34 to look more closely at how this works.

Kingdom of God Intent

If we choose to please God, we will build up eternal treasures

Matthew 6:24 states, no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Miles defines intent as having a predetermined purpose; having your heart and will fixed on a goal. We cannot intend to serve both God and ourselves. We have to choose.

If we choose to please ourselves, we will store up things that do not last forever. If we choose to please God, we will build up eternal treasures. We must decide in our hearts that we want to make a difference to bless others and build God's Kingdom.

To do this, we must choose not to worry about things God promises to manage. In verses 25 through 34, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat, drink, and wear, because our heavenly Father knows what we need.

Matthew 6:26 states, look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Kingdom of God Perspective

Matthew 6:22-23 states, the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Perspective is the manner in which we view something. It is most likely based on our world view, education, and experience. If we see everything through selfish eyes, our heart will be full of darkness. If we see everything through God's eyes, our heart will be full of light!

Miles told a story about Johnny, a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome who worked as a bagger at a grocery store. After a motivational speaker spoke to the store employees, Johnny decided to put little pieces of paper with encouraging sayings on them in the bag of each customer he helped. Before long, the customers were only coming to Johnny's line.

Johnny had the right perspective. He did not worry about the pen and paper he needed to write the encouraging sayings; he just wanted to change lives. We can do the same by looking for Kingdom value in everything. God can use our natural resources-whether our encouraging words or our twenty dollars-to bring about his righteousness.

Matthew 6:33 states, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Kingdom of God Treasure

Imagine a life without worry

Matthew 6:19-21 states, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Treasure is defined as stored up or accumulated wealth, riches, and valued things. We cannot hold on to earthly treasures, but Kingdom treasure is eternal riches and heavenly peace. You can choose where your heart is by where your treasure is-store up treasures in heaven and your heart will follow.

Matthew 6:34 states, therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Imagine a life without worry. That is what God offers us by telling us to stop holding on to the treasures of this world and to start seeking God, his kingdom, and his righteousness.

Miles asked us to think again about what we would do with the twenty dollar bill and write it down.